Drain pipe appliance



Aug. 11, 1936. v l J. SMITH 2,050,590

DRAIN PIPE APPLIANCE Filed Aug. 9, 1935 gwua/wfon Patented Aug. 11, 1936 UNETED STATES ztsasee PATENT ()FFICE DRAIN PIPE APPLIANCE ware Application August 9, 1935, Serial No. 35,517

4 Claims.

The invention relates to drain pipe appliances and has as an object the provision of means to be placed in a drain pipe, particularly of a refrigerating device, to prevent the formation of slime.

It is a matter of common knowledge that in the use of ice cooled refrigerating devices the drain water resulting from the melting ice forms therein slime due to the growth of fungoids and/or bacteria which collect in a drain pipe or in any trap device at the outlet of the device, and form a stoppage of the pipe, necessitating frequent cleaning.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an appliance to be placed in the pipe that will prevent such growth.

A physical embodiment of such a device is shown in the accompanying drawing wherein:-

Figure 1 is a vertical section through a portion of an ice cooled receptacle such as is commonly in use for dispensing of bottled soft drinks;

Fig. 2 is a central vertical section of the drain pipe itself;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the structure of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on broken line 44 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a detail vertical section of the lower end of a modified form of drain pipe.

As shown the ice cooled receptacle It is provided with a standpipe H dipping into a trap l2 which, as usually provided, is in the form of a cup hinged at one point as it and provided with a spring M to hold the cup trap in normal position. In one well known form of ice cooled soft drink dispensers, the stand pipe H is formed with openings as l 5, H6 at different heights from the bottom of the container.

The invention comprises a tube I! shown as open at the top and closed at its bottom at I9 and formed with openings 2s, 2t, 22, and 23 at varying heights above the bottom IS, the openings being few in number and relatively widely spaced. The tube I! is shown as open at its top 24 and provided with straps 25, 26 which may be bent over the top of the pipe II to support the tube l1 centrally in the pipe and desirably somewhat below the upper end thereof.

Within the tube I! there is shown a mass of material '21. The material of this mass may be composed of any eifective fungicidal or bactericidal material, or both, and since fungoids, which do not grow readily in an alkaline solution, are principally to be combatted, the fungic-idal material should preferably be alkaline in character.

In the form of Fig. 5, the trap is shown as replaced by means of a screw cap: 23 upon the lower end of the drain pipe M. In the use of the soft-drink dispensers'referred to, it is customary Ito fill the same with ice, and it is provided by law in many localities that the water in the device shall not stand above the necks of the bottles being cooled.

In the form of Fig. 1, therefore, the pipe is provided with openings it at such a level that the water cannot rise thereabove as the ice melts. The openings 55 are provided to assist in removal of the water sc that it shall not rise above the openings 58 if the ice melts too rapidly.

During such slow removal of the water there is little depletion of the mass 27 in the tube I'I. However when the refrigerator is re-iced, the water will be forced by the mass of fresh ice to rise to a point such as to overflow the upper end of the tube. When the water escapes in this manner in considerable volume, a certain amount of it will be received by the upper open end of the pipe 11.

When the form of Fig. 5 is used, the screw cap 23 will be removed when the box is iced. The water which flows into the pipe I! will dissolve from the mass 2'5 and will escape relatively 30 slowly through some one of the openings 2023 in accordance with the amount of depletion of the filling thus treating the water so that when the conditions become static the water in the trap I2 or remaining in the standpipe II will be so treated as to inhibit the growth of fungoids or bacteria.

Were the tube ll open at the bottom, the material would be dissolved too rapidly and require too frequent renewal. The same would be the case if the tube I! were made of reticulated or foraminous material. It is obvious that the pipe I! may be supported in the tubes l l or H in any desired manner which support preferably should arrange for its central location therein.

The filling of fungicidal material may in itself be such as to form a stoppage at the bottom of pipe H, in which case the lower end of the pipe may be physically open but functionally closed by the filling mass, in accordance with the spirit of the appended claims.

Minor changes may be made in the physical embodiment of the invention within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit thereof. 55

I claim:

1. In a device of the class described, in combination: a liquid containing receptacle; a drain pipe extending through a wall of said receptacle and having an open upper end within the receptacle through which liquid flows from the receptacle; a tubular element supported in said pipe, open at its upper end to receive a portion or said flowing liquid and having a restricted outlet below said open end to permit of escape of liquid bearing dissolved fungicidal material; and a mass of fungicidal material in said tubular element.

2. In a device of the class described, in combination: a liquid containing receptacle; a drain pipe extending through a wall of the receptacle and having an open upper end within the receptacle through which liquid flows from the receptacle; a tubular element supported in said drain pipe and having an open upper end to receive a portion of said flowing liquid and relatively widely spaced openings in its walls to permit escape of said received liquid bearing fungicidal material in solution; and a mass of fungicidal material in said tubular element.

3. In a device of the class described, in combination: a liquid containing receptacle; an overflow drain pipe extending through a wall of the receptacle and having an opening adjacent its upper end through which water flows from the receptacle; a tubular element open at its upper end to receive a portion of the water flowing through said drain pipe and having an outlet below said end for escape of water bearing fungicidal material in solution, to merge with the water flowing through said drain pipe; means supporting said tubular element in said pipe with its open end spaced below the inlet opening of the drain pipe; and a mass of fungicidal material in said tubular element.

4. In a device of the class described, in combination: a receptacle to collect water resulting from melting ice in an iced refrigerator; a drain pipe opening through a wall of said receptacle; a trap enclosing the outlet of said drain pipe; a tubular element open at its upper end and closed at its lower end and having vertically and relatively widely spaced openings in its wall; said 20 pipe supported in said drain pipe with its upper end exposed in the path of water escaping through said drain pipe; and a mass of fungicidal material in said tubular element; whereby to feed a small portion of water carrying fungi- 25 cidal material in solution to the water flowing out of said drain pipe to said trap.

JACK SIVIITH. 

